Vacant Boy
by Fairies Of Fire
Summary: What happened to you? What happened to us? We used to be unstoppable? We used to be full of live, full of happiness, full of love. Since when did the rose die? Since when did the lights turn off? Since when did you become a vacant boy?
1. When I met him

**Vacant Boy**

by me.

We were young. Perhaps 8, or was it 9 years old?

His mischievous gaze he held was timeless - the one a elementary kid had. Or was I biased to think this way because that's when I saw it for the first time.

In elementary school.

We weren't really friends even though we were in the same class and seated really close. We didn't dislike one another, we were just the other's background character to the other's story. Kind of like that classmate you wouldn't hate being paired up with in a school project but you wouldn't go out of your way to go with them if you had the choice. Actually, it was exactly like that.

For a good amount of time it was as described above. We wouldn't acknowledge each other in the hallways or even on the playground. Not intentionally, but rather because we just didn't... see each other. We had never hung out despite holding a respectful and good classmate-to-classmate relationship. There was just no interest. I was the preppy blonde rich girl and he was the loud, annoyingly energetic yet so lovable figure in our class. A few girls had a crush on him and I didn't blame them but it was to no avail - _he didn't have one delicate nor romantic bone in him_. He was dense dumb kid who only liked dragons. Now that I remember it, he claimed that his father was a fire dragon - _false_.

 **He's just weird.**

Those were the words I would use to describe him back then. Until we gradually became friends in 8th grade. It was the year he had moved on our street during the summer unbeknownst to me. His family and he had gone knocking on every door, offering pie like in the olden american days. Sadly, nobody had answered. Why? They were not as high class as the people they were trying to appeal to. To my neighbours it had looked like a filthy worm trying to appeal to an alpha lion. I'm not going to lie, I had the same mindset when informed by our butlers of their little visit. They had been stopped by the silver gates blocking our mile-long driveway. I could see their faces through the monitor and hear them through the intercom.

"Let's hope this one doesn't turn us down." A certain redhead middle-aged man whispered with a light chuckle.

"Gray told me this is where our class president lives." I recognized the boy as Natsu with his unique features.

Crap.

"Are you sure they live there? Pretty sure that's the President's house right there…" A soothingly sweet voice spoke. It came a woman who kept rubbing her hands together in this overly hot weather as if she was cold…

"Yeah I'm pretty sure. He said the biggest white house of the Strawberry Street was um.. Lu-luigi Ha-Hatfi.. Hatfila's! Yup! Luigi Hatfila's."

I fumed. How could he forget my name after being in the same class for a good 4 years. Annoyed, I hastingly pressed the green button, makingna buzzin sound before more blasphemous words came out of his mouth.

Father would've obviously opposed to letting commoners "stain" our carpets with their "dirty walmart shoes". I couldn't. If I were to refuse it dirty my label as the class prez. That's why I ordered Alexander, our youngest butler, to drive them through the driveway in our custom Rolls Royce cadi.

When they entered _mi casa_ , the maids and I greeted them with a fake smile, one I had been condition to use for greetings, pictures and just appearances overall since I could understand English. That's when I saw Natsu's unnatural attire. He, who usually wore capri shorts and a simple tee, was wearing a freaking Louis Vuitton golf polo, Yves St-Laurent black formal pants, a plain looking belt to any amateur but to a conaisseur you could easily tell it was a Enfants Riches Déprimés belt, white ankle Ralph Lauren socks and black CDG x Converse high tops. He had this indifferent, composed and relaxed look on his face. He held his head high and only lowered his deep dark eyes. His hair was still has messy, giving a sense of carelessness.

For the first time I had noticed him.

And that had put a genuine smile of amusement on my face.

"Please come in"

And so the gates closed behind them, opening the ones to our story.


	2. I - Forever

**FOREVER**

 **adverb.**

all future time; for always.

' _she would love him forever'_

He looked at me with this look. The one that me made feel like a prey being eyed by its predator.

"Sorry to bother you," My head snapped towards who I assumed to be his mother, "we just moved a few houses away and wanted to introduce ourselves the good old way."

Her eyes were watery, giving a sense of softness. That had been achieved by curling her lashes, blackened by her neatly applied mascara. Her eyes were of a dark brown, just as hypnotizing as her son's. She had a few happy wrinkles that only seemed to make her seem younger, wiser and nicer, odly. Her cheeks were naturally rosy but the pink on her glossy lips wasn't. Her smile was so motherly and soft, giving a feeling of warmth and love to whoever received it.

"Oh don't worry about it— would you like some tea or a small tour just before?" I offered ever so professionally, doing my best to polish my reputation into a diamond.

"Should I do it?" asked Claude, smoothly entering the room unannounced. Claude was the head butler and my father's right hand man, therefore he would obviously try to control the situation in the most Jude-like way possible. He would make them feel unwelcome and poor in the nicest way and most subtle way.

I looked over at Claude. Oh boy was he old. He always had a serene, reserved and mean look on his face that showed no mercy. Claude's face was _so_ wrinkled and riddled with beauty marks. His mustache was just as well groomed as his slickback gray hair. His eyes were of an icy blue that held no story nor depth. Claude was a tall, skinny man who held an elegant posture. Sometimes I wondered why he was wasting his life here when he was obviously a man destined for a rich life. Although, when I questioned Mother about it, all she did was smile, scoff and whisper a few words in a bitter voice. Words I seem to have erased from my memory because I only remember crying after hearing them.

"Miss?" I didn't break off any eye contact with him.

"I'll be able to manage, thank you for the offer, Claude." I turned to the Dragneel trio before me and gestured them to follow me.

"Let's get started, shall we!" I excitedly said, going up the golden spiral stairs with my guests behind me. I could feel Claude stare at me from below, following my every move, analysing my posture, my aura, my delicacy and of course, warning me. Of what? That if I were to defy him again, I wouldn't be able to ever again. My hand gently glided onto the gold ramp as I was lost in thought.

I felt a warm hand suddenly place itself onto mine. I jumped and whipped my head towards the person who had did that.

It was Natsu.

I relaxed and closed my wide open eyes only to open them more gently.

"You made me jump out of my skin," I whispered, "is everything alright?" He removed his hand and placed it in his pocket. He retrieved a phone strap with a small snowman named 'Plue' from the child's morning show Rave Master. I immediately recognized it as the one I had tried to get at the arcade right after school. I had been in such a hurry to get out of there as it was too embarrassing of a scene. I was a teen among children. Due to my poor composure, I lost it and hadn't dared to return go get it.

I gently grabbed it and looked up in disbelief.

"Where did you find this?" I asked, now staring at Plue who laid in my pale hands.

"Well, it was layin' on the ground at the arcade and I knew it was yours 'cause I saw you drop it. Honestly, it was quite funny to see _you_ there of all places—"

"Anyways! Thank you very much and I'll be sure to repay you." I cut him off, too embarrassed to let him continue his sentence. Natsu slowed down his pace as we were reaching the top in a few steps. As he turned around, he replied :

" **How about you repay me with your friendship?"**

I was shocked. Of all things he could've asked a date, money or even more materialistic things, he asked for a friend. To me, friendship was such a simple and little thing. I didn't know just what exactly that implied. Just how I would feel every single sort of emotions. Just how much it would hurt. Which is my only reply was a quiet, confused:

" **Okay…"**

"Mom! Dad! Hurry up! Luce and I are already there!" He shouted in a grunt, startling the maids and me. Not for the same reasons.

Natsu had called me Luce. I thought he had forgotten my name.

He hadn't.

I observed him, quickly jump the 2 steps left in one leap and then grin.

"Hurry Luigi, you could lose some weight."

This piece of shit.

—

"Excuse me dear, do you happen to know where the bathroom is?" Natsu's father, which I had happened to know was named Igneel, quietly asked, interrupting my tour.

"Oh of course, it's at end of the hall, door to your left if you want an occidental royal theme, door to your right if you want a late 18th century royal theme." I indicated with a sweet smile. Igneel scoffed in disbelief and muttered he's chose the door to the left, fearing to see a "head-slicer".

"Actually, I also need to use the bathroom, can I?" Grandine, Natsu's mom, shyly asked at her turn. I nodded in a yes manner and she hurriedly went to the bathroom.

I turned to Natsu.

"Want to go to the bathroom too?" I teased lightly, looking at Natsu with a slight playful smirk. He slid his fingers on the glass that separated him from touching my late mother's set of cosmic keys. Usually, I would've told him to get the hell away, but the way he gently touched it, the way he looked at them and the way he looked at me after... It was like he knew. Like he knew everything. Like he knew everything I had been trying to figure out for the past few years.

I carefully approached him and admired my mother's collection with him. His eyes lowered to the little plate that had 'In loving memory of Mother' written on it.

"She's dead." I said before he could ask it himself. I could feel his surprised gaze turn to me.

"She-" I took a breath, "She passed away 4 years ago. Due to a rare illness." His head turned back to the set of keys. He jerked his hand away. Like he got an electrical shock.

"I'm sorry," Natsu lowered his head, "I shouldn't be touching this."

I giggled, making him look at me once more.

"Too late, your greasy fingers have already done most of the damage."

He instinctively rubbed his fingertips on his pants and scrutinized the glass to see if I was joking or not.

I wasn't. We could see his fingerprints clearly on the glass. Honestly disgusting.

But it was refreshing. For once, someone hadn't looked at me with so much blatant pity. I was smiling. For the first time since what seemed like forever, one of my peers had made me genuinely grin after talking about my mother.

That was soon interrupted.

My favourite maid and bestfriend, Cana, had come inside the room, alarmingly.

" _Mija_! Your father has come home! I advise you to— "

"You advise her to _what_ exactly, Cana?"

My eyes widened. Father was standing right behind her, in his usual powerful and intimidating stance. She quickly apologize, bowed and ran away, knowing very well what would happen to her if she were to oppose to my father. Natsu and I quickly straightened out our posture.

"Hello, sir. I'm—"

"What are _you_ doing in here with my daughter?" His eyes were even more slanted than normal, showing that he was more than royally pissed off. His gaze fell onto Mother's collection and then unto me. I jumped a little. Natsu noticed because he snapped his head towards me and relaxed his stance.

"Are you al—"

" _Who do think you are, staining my child's ears with your poor dirty little commoner's language?_ " His voice had lowered but had taken a powerful tone. All I could think was, _please don't talk Natsu, please don't talk_.

"Yo dude, you're gonna have to like chill the f—"

"Jude?! Is that you?"

 _Oh my God, thank you so much. Please let this relax him._

Contrary to my liking,Father did not soften his glare. In fact, it got worse.

Although I must admit, I was extremely relieved to not have the gun pointed at me. I knew very well that he was furious. My father hated others touching his things — little did I know then that those included me. Actually, I think I just didn't want to admit it.

That I was a tool. Only to be used and then discarded if defective. Yes, the power he held was ridiculously overwhelming.

"Oh my… Jude! It's been so long — 10 years? Maybe 15?"

Natsu's mom had entered the room and now stood by her husband. They looked way too happy after witnessing someone yell so impolitely at their child. She approached Father. We could now completely see her as she stood in front of the doorway. I admired the way she looked at him without any signs of submitness, only mischievousness. That obviously threw the man off. Igneel grinned from ear to ear, with a relaxed posture and malicious intent in his dark brown orbs.

"Lucy," I hiccuped, "go entertain the … busboy downstairs in the recreational room." He gave Natsu a final up-and-down before focusing on the two guests in front of him.

That was a shock. I was awaiting his order to call security or something of the likes, as usual. It looked like… he was losing control in his own house. And he knew it.

"What?" I quietly whimpered, taken aback. My eyes got watery all of the sudden as I saw my father slowly turn his head to me. I remember thinking very loudly 'Oh fuck'.

" _Did I stutter?_ "

I quickly shook my head and lowered it in shame before walking away with Natsu following me. Arrived beside Father, I was abruptly stopped. He grabbed my wrist and twisted it so hard I could feel my skin peeling.

"Eek!" I let out in a squeal. He twisted it harder. I hissed. He lowered his head till his lips were two inches away from my right ear.

"Do not test me. I own you, remember?" Of course, that was a rhetorical question. He yanked away my wrist and subtly wiped away the small traces of fresh blood unto his black suit. I knew it was mine, so I felt no need to look down at my wrist. I just hid it in front of me and pursued what I was doing with Natsu doing the same. The walk to the recreational room was long and painfully silent. I couldn't dare to peek at the teen behind me out of pure shame and embarrassment but the silence was killing me and it wasn't going to end soon.

"I'm sorry you had to experience Father's bad mood," I chuckled, "that was quite uncomfortable."

I turned around and Natsu didn't waste a second to grab my bruised wrist. He gave me a that's-not-normal look and I just smiled at him. That's all I could do.

"You're bleeding." And he just stared. Weirdly, I felt naked. Still, I didn't break free, because it felt good to have someone worry about you. Someone who knew it wasn't normal because they hadn't been conditioned to think it was nor had they been familiarized so much it wasn't as much of a bad thing after all.

"Tell me something new." I snapped in a whisper but it seemed like he had clearly heard. He let go of my wrist slowly and gently. I sighted and felt annoyed. Annoyed at him. Annoyed at my dad. Annoyed at myself.

"Could you please like, wash it or I don't know.. 'Cause I'm not tryin' catch fuckin' AIDS or something." Oh, wow.

—

When we arrived, the confused maids quickly left us alone in the casino-like room. Natsu took a few seconds to admire the room. I admit it was quite amazing, the floor was of a red, almost velour carpet. The furniture was made of black genuine italian leather. The tables were made of dark wood and looked stunning. The games looked like they were shining, trying to attract the most people they could. The bartenders were cleaning up a few glasses, dressed in a formal attire. Other employees came out, ready to serve us.

"D'ya know how to play poker?" I scoffed and rolled my eyes in disbelief.

"I'm a Heartfilia, is that even a question?" My smile grew mischievous. So did his. His eyes sparkled at the sight of a challenge. The dealer, after hearing us, came before us, waiting for us to choose a table with a smile as well as a new deck of cards in hand.

"Damn Heartfilia you got me all fired up."


End file.
